Damaged Little Soul
by KassSalvatore
Summary: AU."Every love story is a ghost story." - David Foster Wallace. 2011. After the tragic death of her parents, Elena Gilbert, her brother and her aunt relocate to L.A for a fresh start. They move into a mansion known as "The Murder House" Could anything good come out of this new location or will the Gilbert's fall victim to the house like its past residents? (TATE/ELENA)
1. I

A/N: Ooooh I just can't seem to stop writing, can I? Haha anyway, here is my new story called Damaged Little Soul. It's a crossover between American Horror Story: Murder House & The Vampire Diaries. Hope you enjoy! I was inspired by the crossover called, Evil Has Never Loved You by ISeekYouOut. :D

* * *

AU. EVENTUALLY Tate/Elena(OC)."Every love story is a ghost story." - David Foster Wallace. 2011. After the tragic death of her parents, Elena Gilbert, her brother and her aunt relocate to L.A for a fresh start. They move into a mansion known as "The Murder House" Could anything good come out of this new location or will the Gilbert's fall victim to the house like its past residents?

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Elena Gilbert was half-asleep in the backseat of her Aunt Jenna's vehicle. Jeremy, Elena's fifteen year-old brother sat beside her listening to music on his iPod, oblivious to the world around him. The small family was on their way to their new home, 939 Berro Drive, a house in Los Angeles. It was a big change for them because they were coming from a small town called Mystic Falls located in southwestern Virginia. It had also been a couple months since Miranda and Grayson Gilbert died, they were Elena's parents. They had swerved off of Wickery Bridge with Elena in the car, an unfortunate accident. Elena had been the only survivor and thank god, Jeremy hadn't been in the car. Elena didn't feel like a survivor though, she felt like a failure. She felt like a failure to her parents, they should have been the survivors, not her. But Elena tried to push the thoughts of the accident out of her head. She tried to stop thinking about what happened and to keep telling herself that it wasn't her fault but the only way she could express that was by cutting herself; cutting her arm with a razor, to be exact. Sure, there were so many things that could happen. Things like, she could accidently hit a vein and die, but was that all so bad? Did life really matter anymore?

"Are you guys excited to see our new house?" Jenna asked her niece and nephew as she turned a sharp corner, getting them closer and closer to the new house. Jenna was Miranda's younger sister and she was Elena and Jeremy's sole guardian until they both turned eighteen, then they were free to go anywhere they liked.

Jeremy pulled out his earphones and wrapped them around his iPod before slipping the device into his jeans pocket. "Yeah, kind of." He answered honestly.

Jenna smiled. "What about you 'Lena?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know. I just wished we could have stayed in our old house. I don't see why we had to move."

Jenna stopped at a red light and turned back to look at her niece. "Yeah I know how you feel, honey. But this is going to be a fresh start for us, no bad memories, just happy ones."

Elena faked a smile for her aunt and then sighed when she began to drive again. Bullshit that they weren't going to make bad memories.

Jenna pulled into the driveway of the house. She stepped out of the car and smiled proudly at their new house. "Wow, it looks even better in person!"

Jeremy stepped out of the car with his bags and stood beside his aunt. "Woah, it's huge!" he exclaimed. "You gotta see this, 'Lena!"

Elena groaned as she stretched her legs and cracked her knuckles, a new habit she had taken up. She climbed out of the car with her bag swung over her shoulder and then tugged her suitcase out. She opened her mouth wide open in surprise when she looked up at the house. "This is our new house? It looks like a freaking mansion!"

Jenna smiled and wrapped her arms around her niece and nephew. "Do you guys like it?"

"Duh!" Elena and Jeremy both answered.

"Well, I'm glad."

Elena cocked her head to the side. "How are we paying for this? It looks so expensive. I mean, we have money but not this kind of money!"

"Well, it actually wasn't that expensive. The price has gone down quite a bit in the past few years."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Why? A house like this should not be going down, if anything it should be going up."

"What's wrong with it? Mold in the basement?" She asked with a smirk directed at Jeremy.

"Yeah, bats in the attic?" Jeremy chimed in and returned his sister's smirk.

Jenna sighed and held her hands together. "Uh, well, actually, the previous owners of this house died in it…"

Elena's smirk changed into a confused look. "Oh, wow. Do you know how did they die?"

Jeremy hit his sister's arm gently and gave her a "shutup" look.

Elena rolled her eyes at her brother before directing her attention back to her aunt. "Do you?"

Jenna cleared her throat. "They, um, actually were murdered…"

"I don't want to live here if someone died in it!" Jeremy blurted out.

"Jeremy, stop acting childish. It was probably an accident or they were protecting themselves. It doesn't matter." Elena said in a calm voice.

Jenna pulled her niece into a hug. "Elena is right, no need to worry."

Jeremy took a deep breath. "Well, I guess you're right." He rolled his eyes at himself and flashed a goofy smile, feeling stupid.

"Hey, if you kids want you can explore the house and pick out your bedrooms? It will probably take me a little while to unpack from the car and move our stuff into the house?" Jenna suggested.

"Okay, sure." Elena and Jeremy answered before taking off and racing into the new house.

Elena ran her hands over the creased wallpaper, it was peeled over slightly and it looked like something was underneath it. Maybe a picture or more wallpaper? "Hmm." She whispered and licked her lips.

Someone wandered into the room dressed in an odd, shiny, black rubber suit. They crept up behind Elena, silently.

Elena turned around, face to face with the rubber man. She screamed but then she realized it was Jeremy. She gasped and put her hand on her chest as she took a breath. "Oh my god, Jer. You scared me!" She exclaimed and then let out a small laugh.

The rubber man didn't reply, he just reached his hand out and touched Elena's cheek. He caressed her smooth, olive skin with his rubber hand.

Elena frowned and glanced down at his hand. "Jer? What're you doing?" She laughed nervously.

Suddenly, Jeremy actually came into the room. "Hey, whatcha doing? I want to show you the room I picked out."

The rubber man disappeared just as Jeremy stepped into the room. Elena's heart skipped a beat. Who was that rubber man and what was he doing in their house? Maybe Elena was just hallucinating? Maybe she just imagined it? No need to panic. "Um nothing. Okay, uh sure." Elena replied and ran a hand through her long, straight chocolate hair.

Jeremy started to go up the stairs, creaking as he stepped and Elena followed him. Each step Elena took, the more she convinced herself that the rubber man was just her imagination. She was safe, she was okay. The rubber man was a hallucination.

Jeremy stopped at a medium sized room. He went inside and so did Elena. A twin sized bed was by the window, there was a small closet that would fit Jeremy's clothes, a wardrobe near the closet and a dresser. Jeremy's bags were on the bed. It was a nice sized room. "Nice, I like it and it will look even better when you hang up your band posters." She said with a smile and patted his back.

"You think so? I like it too, now let's look for your room." He said and took her hand, leading her out of the room and into the hallway.

The corridor was bright and it was fairly narrow, it had a few rooms on the side so Elena did what her heart told her, she went for the one room at the end. It was like the room was calling her, she liked it.

She stepped inside and immediately fell in love, it was a simple room but she loved it. The room was turquoise and everything else, like the bed, the carpets and the little chair in the corner were violet. The size of the room, the queen size bed, the wardrobe, the dresser and the nightstand were perfect. Everything was perfect.

"Wow, I love it. It's even better then my old room." Elena said before jumping up on the bed and lying down. She smiled; maybe this house wasn't going to be that bad.

Jeremy sat down in the violet covered chair. When he sat down, it began to rock back and forth. It was a rocking chair. "I almost wish I picked it." He glanced around the room and cocked his head to the side when he noticed something written on the whiteboard by the door. Taint, the whiteboard message read. "Look at your whiteboard." Jeremy whispered.

Elena frowned before getting up from the bed and walking to her whiteboard. She looked at the message. "Taint. Did you write that?"

Jeremy shook his head and continued to rock. "Nope, I haven't even been in this room before. Maybe it was a ghost? Ooooh!" He said and made a ghost noise while dangling his fingers.

Elena erased her whiteboard and then sat back down at her bed whilst looking at her brother. "C'mon Jeremy, ghosts aren't real. You know that. I know you're just joking around, I mean who else could have written that?"

Jeremy shrugged and then suddenly stood up. "It was a ghost, I told you." He yawned. "Anyway, I'm going to go hang out in my room. Yell if you need me."

Elena waved at her brother when he left the room. She leaned back down on her bed and then shut her eyes. Then, she remembered something, she felt the urge. She needed to cut. Elena hoped off her bed, dug her cosmetics bag out of her shoulder bag and wandered down the hall, hoping to find the bathroom.

She glanced inside one of the rooms and, it was the bathroom. Elena glanced around the room before going in and shutting the door. She sat on the toilet seat and searched through her cosmetics bag for her razor. She found it; she pulled down her black sleeve and stared at her arm covered in cuts. Some cuts were not that deep and the others had been very deep. Some were so deep that she almost had to go to the hospital, but thankfully she managed to stop the bleeding. Elena sighed before taking the razor and cutting just above her wrist. She didn't even wince as she began to bleed, she was used to the feeling and in a way, it felt nice.

Suddenly, someone began to rattle the doorknob.

Elena's heart skipped a beat. It was either Jenna or Jeremy. "Just a minute!" Elena called out. She threw her bloody razor into the sink and turned on the water, rinsing it off. Next, she pulled down her sleeve, covering the cut. Thankfully, her sweater was black so no one would be able to see the blood seeping through. The doorknob continued to shake. "Hang on!" Elena then dried her razor off with her sweater and put it in the cabinet. She opened the door, just a crack and looked out but no one was there. Elena frowned, was that Jeremy?

Elena left the bathroom and shut the door before walking to Jeremy's room. She knocked and Jeremy answered it. A musty smell was erupting from his room, it smelled like grass and smoke.

"What's that smell?" Elena asked and tried to peek inside but Jeremy slammed his door just as he stepped outside. He smelled even worse.

"Omg Jer, is that pot?" Elena asked, put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

Jeremy coughed. "No, I have no idea what you are talking about." He lied.

Elena rolled her eyes before pushing him aside and opening his door. A pipe was sitting on his bed, along with a plastic baggy of what Elena knew was pot.

She picked up the baggy, the pipe and glared at him. "Clean this up and get rid of the pot before I tell Jenna. If I see this again, I'm telling her and we're sending you off to rehab."

Jeremy frowned and snatched the baggy and pipe from her hands. "You're one to talk."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked, suspicion in her voice.

"I know you cut. I've seen them all over your arms." He pointed to her sweater. "And, your sweater has blood on it. Might want to clean that up?"

"Fine, but I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

Jeremy nodded. "Sure, just please me careful Elena. I don't want you to die." He whispered and a single tear strolled down his cheek.

Elena slowly nodded. "I won't, I'll be okay." She said before leaving his room and shutting the door.

She went back into her room and shut the door. She pulled her sweater off and threw it into a corner before going into her suitcase to look for a new one.

Elena spent the next hour, unpacking, organizing and cleaning. She sat down on her bed for a break and shut her eyes. Five minutes later, she was fast asleep and snoring.

Elena opened her eyes to the sound of her aunt yelling. "Elena, dinner time!" Jenna called.

Elena moaned before pulling herself off of her bed and cracking her knuckles. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand, it was 6:30. She had fallen asleep? "Good job, 'Lena. It's your first day in your new house and you've managed to have a nap." She congratulated herself before walking out of the door. Taint. There it was, Taint was written back up on the whiteboard. Elena groaned before erasing it and going down the creaky steps.

Elena wandered sleepily into the kitchen. Jeremy was sitting at the table with a mouthful of pizza and Jenna was seated beside him, she too had a mouthful of pizza. There was one spot left, Elena's spot.

"Yay, pizza!" Elena shouted with a grin before sitting down beside her aunt. She glanced at the pizza box on the table before taking a slice out and tearing a piece of pizza off. She had been tearing off little pieces of her pizza since she was little, it was something she always did.

"Well since we just moved here, I thought we would order pizza to celebrate our new home." Jenna said and took a sip of her wine.

"I love pizza!" Jeremy exclaimed.

Elena laughed. "Who doesn't love pizza?"

"I'm so happy that you kids like this place, I really like it too." Jenna said with a grin.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, my room is great. I put up my Guns&Roses poster and my Nirvana poster."

Jenna smiled at her nephew before looking at her niece. "What about you 'Lena? How do you like your room?"

"It's good, I love it actually." She answered honestly. "The only thing that I don't like about this house is that someone random person got into our house earlier wearing a rubber suit and freaked the shit out of me."

"What the hell? Are you sure? You weren't hallucinating?" Jeremy asked with surprise and fear in his tone.

Jenna raised her finger. "Language." She firmly said then looked at Elena with confusion. "Sweetheart, maybe it's those pills you're taking? You know, for your depression?"

Elena clenched her jaw, tightly. They didn't believe her, of course they wouldn't. Everyone thought she was crazy after the accident happened, even her own flesh and blood. When in reality, she was just depressed. "I didn't hallucinate, it was real. He was real. I didn't imagine it." She paused. "Well, I guess it could have been a hallucination. It just, it just seemed so real."

Jenna sensed her niece's frustration and cleared her throat. "It's okay, we believe you. It's just that we were confused. No worries though. If you see him again, tell me and I'll knock him out." She said and jokingly punched the inside of her hand with her fist.

Elena knew her aunt was just saying that. "Okay, I will." She lied. If she saw anything else then she definitely wasn't going to tell them. They would just think she was even crazier.

Elena wanted to explore the house more, so she went down the steps that lead to the basement. It was very dark down in the basement, and creepy. Elena had thankfully brought a flashlight with her, so she turned it on and began to explore.

Jars full of weird objects mixed with a mysterious liquid were lined up on a shelf. Elena frowned and picked one of the jars up, examining it. It looked like a fetus inside the jar. Suddenly, something scratched at Elena's leg. The jar dropped to the ground as Elena screamed.

The creature that scratched her leg had white hair, black eyes and blood dripping from his mouth. He looked like a demon old man hybrid. He bit down on Elena's leg causing her to scream. "Aunt Jenna! Jeremy! Help!"

Elena fell to the ground and backed away from the creature. She shut her eyes, accepting death. "Please, somebody help!" She begged and sobbed.

"Leave her alone!" A male voice shouted from behind Elena. "GO AWAY!"

Elena opened one eye and let out a relieved breath when she saw the creature was gone before opening her other eye. Her head whipped behind her, no one was there. Who ever had saved her from that creature was now gone. Could it have been Jeremy? No, Jeremy had a higher voice and that boy's voice was deeper, much deeper and a little gravelly.

Jenna and Jeremy came rushing down the stairs, Jenna carrying a baseball bat and Jeremy carrying a knife. "Elena? Are you okay? We heard screaming!"

Elena stood up, feeling a numb feeling in her leg. "I'm fine, I really am. Sorry for worrying you." She said and then began to feel very nauseous. "Oh god." She whispered before vomiting on the ground. "I don't feel good." She clutched her head in pain before collapsing to the ground.

"ELENA!" Jeremy and Jenna screamed before rushing over to Elena on the ground.


	2. II

**Chapter 2**

Elena woke up on the couch, her eyes fluttered open to her aunt and her brother gazing over her.

"Oh thank god!" Jenna said and pulled her niece into her arms. "I was so worried, you terrified us!" She then let go of her niece before kissing her forehead.

Jeremy let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah 'Lena, we were so worried. You've been out for twenty minutes and Aunt Jenna wanted to take you to a hospital but I convinced her not to because I know you hate hospitals and I knew you were going to wake up. I mean, the world couldn't be that cruel to kill you after our parents died."

Elena moaned when she tried to stand up, shooting pain ran through her leg. She then remembered, a strange creature had bitten her. "My leg…" She whispered and pointed.

"I know sweetheart, we saw the mark. Did you hurt yourself?" Jenna asked.

Elena shook her head back and forth before giving up on trying to stand up. "No, something bit me."

Jenna squeezed her niece's weak hand. "It's okay honey, we understand. You must feel so anxious about moving into this new house and it's all so new to you. I understand how you might have wanted to hurt yourself but if I see another cut, then I'm going to take you to the mental hospital."

Elena was too tired to argue, she didn't care what her aunt thought or anyone thought for that matter. She couldn't blame them either, what would be another reason that made sense on how her leg was scratched up and had tooth markings? It was the only logical reason; they would never believe or understand that something inhuman bit her. Of course Elena would still cut herself, she had been for the past year and her aunt barely noticed. "I'm sorry," she lied.

Jeremy looked at his sister and sighed. He looked like her almost believed her, he knew that she cut but this mark on her leg, was not made by her. "How about we get you up to bed?"

Elena nodded. "Please."

Jenna pulled Elena up and put her arms around Elena's waist. Jeremy did the same on Elena's other side and together, they carried her up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Thank you guys," Elena sleepily whispered as they set her down on the bed.

Jeremy smiled. "No prob, sis. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Elena nodded and waved as he left the room, leaving Jenna with her.

"I'm going to go to bed soon. I love you and just scream as loud as you can if you need me." Jenna said with a smile.

Elena returned the smile. "Okay, love you Aunt Jenna," she whispered.

Jenna walked to the door and then turned around for a moment. "Do you want me to turn off your light?"

Elena nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Jenna turned off her light and closed her door, leaving just a crack open. "There, so we'll still be able to hear you if you scream."

"Bye," Elena muttered, closing her eyes.

Sleep pulled her under almost immediately.

* * *

The birds were chirping, the sun was shining and Elena Gilbert was… sleeping.

"Knock, knock." Jenna said in a happy voice and knocked on Elena's door.

Elena groaned and turned the other way. "I'm sleeping." She called out.

Jenna opened her niece's door and sat down beside her on the bed. "C'mon, your breakfast pizza is waiting for you in the fridge and I need to check your leg."

Elena sighed before opening her eyes. "Fine, check my leg but then I need to shower." She sniffed her armpit. "I stink."

Jenna rolled her eyes before pulling down Elena's covers and setting her leg on her lap. She glanced down at her leg and let out a surprised noise before grinning. "Your leg." She gasped. "It's healed."

Elena frowned before looking down at her leg. She gasped when she looked at it, it looked completely normal, like she had never even been bitten. "Wow, that's awesome."

"Does it hurt?" Jenna smiled and asked.

Elena tested this out by trying to stand up, and she felt no pain whatsoever. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled proudly. "I'm super-heal-woman!" she exclaimed.

Jenna laughed before going into Elena's dresser. She pulled out black jeans, a purple knit top and underwear. "Here, go take a shower and change into this." She handed the outfit to Elena.

Elena accepted the outfit. "Thank you, I will." She said before going into the bathroom. She set the clothes down on the counter and put her dirty clothes into the hamper. She realized that the clothes she had just had in her hand, were her clothes from the previous day and she didn't even change into her pajamas before bed last night. Oh well.

Elena turned on her shower before stepping in. The water was fairly cold, so she changed it to lukewarm. She squirted shampoo into her hand before lathering it into her hair.

"And I! I will always love you! Yoooooouuu!" Elena sang very loudly as she rinsed out her shampoo. She was feeling very good, which was odd since she had been depressed for the past year. Was it normal to be happy? Heck, she didn't even remember what feeling happy felt like before today. Yesterday was a very weird day but today was going to be a new day, a great day.

Elena continued rinsing and soaping up before finally turning off the shower and stepping out. She wrapped a white fluffy towel around her body and then flipped her head over to wrap a beige one around her hair.

She then went back to her room with the clothes and set them back on her bed. She let the white towel drop from her body before pulling on her clothes.

Once she was dressed, she took out the beige towel and brushed her hair. She applied a little bit of makeup in the mirror. Now, she was set for the day.

Elena went down the stairs and into the kitchen. Jeremy was at the table, eating a slice of pizza and drinking a glass of water. Jenna was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where's Jenna?" Elena asked as she went to sit beside her brother.

"She went out to get groceries," he replied. "She should be back in a bit. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a lot better." Elena nodded and then asked, "Jeremy, do you believe that it wasn't me who did that to my leg yesterday?"

Jeremy swallowed his pizza and then looked at her with a slight frown. "I don't know. I just don't know what else it could have been."

"I understand that but please Jer, you of all people should believe me."

Jeremy nodded. "I know, I know." He took another bite of his pizza and washed it down with a sip of water. "So, what really happened last night? A demon possessed you?" He asked and then began to laugh.

Elena frowned; he obviously thought she was crazy. "You what, just forget it. It won't make sense to you." Elena snapped and stood up before going out the back door into the backyard.

"Elena, c'mon! I was just joking around!" he shouted but she was already outside, she couldn't even hear him now.

Elena groaned and sat down in the backyard. She pulled her knees up to her chest and dug through her pocket for something, her blade.

She found it and pierced her wrist with it causing a droplet of blood to ooze out. More blood came out, and more.

She laid down on the grass with the blade in hand. Her wrist was bleeding, and bleeding and bleeding.

Her vision started to blur so she shut her eyes. She felt peaceful and safe.

"Sweetheart, your wrist… it's bleeding." A southern voice said. It was a woman, she was speaking to Elena.

Elena opened her eyes to a blonde, older woman, smoking a cigarette. "Who are you?" Elena whispered.

The woman flicked her cigarette and put it out. "I'm Constance, Constance Langdon. I'm your next door neighbor but we can get acquainted later after I fix up your wrist. You don't look so good, honey." Constance held out her hand for her to grab.

Elena moaned as Constance pulled her up, she collapsed in the woman's arms.

* * *

Elena woke up on a pink loveseat. She opened her eyes to a small, brown haired girl wearing an orange headband. The girl was wearing a floral dress and she smiled at Elena. "Yes, she's awake." The girl said to someone who Elena couldn't see.

Elena blinked a few times. "Who the hell are you?" She groggily asked.

"I'm Adelaide, and you're Lena."

Elena smiled weakly at the girl. "Yeah, I am. How do you know my name?"

Adelaide grinned. "My mother saved you from dying a tragic, bloody death."

Elena frowned. "Huh?" But then she remembered, she had slit her wrists and a blonde woman with a southern accent came to her rescue. "Constance." She muttered.

Adelaide nodded. "Yes, that's her name."

Constance walked into the room. "Oh, yes. You're awake!" She smiled brightly and sat down beside Elena. She patted her leg and said, "How do you feel?"

"I feel okay. What happened?"

"You passed out after I found you so I brought you here and I fixed you." Constance answered.

"Fixed me? How?"

"With an herb, It's called vervain and it's a healing herb. It can heal any wound, you just mix it with water and corn starch until it becomes a paste. You then rub it onto your wound and wa-la!" She waved her hand and smiled."You're fixed."

"It's been growing around here for a couple hundred years but not very many people know about it, it's a secret." Constance pressed her finger to her lips and smiled.

Elena frowned. "You sound like you're on some serious meds, Constance." She joked.

Constance forced a smile and said, "Take a look at your arm." She gestured to Elena's wrist.

Elena glanced down at her wrist; no traces of a scar or a mark were there. This vervain herb, was magical. "Wow… Thank you."

"No problem, honey. You stop on by anytime you want."

Elena nodded and got up from the couch to the door. "Thanks Constance, I will." She smiled and began to leave the house but was stopped by Constance who grabbed her arm and frowned. "Be careful in that house, you never know what might happen." She blinked a few times.

"Huh? Why?" Elena curiously asked with her head tilted to the side.

"A lot of vengeful spirits in that house." Constance said with a sigh and shook her head sadly. "A pretty girlie like you oughta be careful and mind her own business. Don't get caught up with them, they'll eat you right up."

Elena frowned. Was Constance a little crazy? Or did she know something that Elena would eventually need to know? What was with this neighborhood? "Oh, uh, um… Okay, thanks." She said before leaving the house and shutting the door.

Elena opened the back door to her house and saw Jenna and Jeremy sitting at the table, they had a worried expression. A redhead old woman was standing beside them. She was dressed in a maid's outfit and one of her eyes was clouded, the other hazel.

Elena frowned.

"Oh god, Elena. Where have you been?" Jenna asked and pulled Elena into an embrace.

Elena hugged her aunt back. "Uh, I was out. No worries." She detached herself and looked at the old woman. "Who's this?"

Jenna cleared her throat and smiled at the old woman. "This is Moira, she is going to be our maid. She worked for the last family that lived her and the family before that."

Moira smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Elena. Your aunt has told me great things about you."

Elena slowly nodded. "Cool, I gotta go. See you guys later." She said and turned to leave but was stopped by Jeremy.

"You really scared me, Elena. After you left, I felt real bad." Jeremy said in a low voice.

"Guys, I'm fine. You need to stop worrying." Elena said and sighed.

Jenna cupped her niece's face with her two hands and frowned at her. "I'm worried about you. Ever sense you first walked into this house, you've been acting weird… Distant… And odd."

"Well, I guess you haven't noticed but I've always been weird, distant and odd." Elena snapped and walked away from them, heading upstairs to her room.

Jenna sighed and sat back down, running a hand through her auburn locks. Moira patted her shoulder and sighed. "Ms. Sommers, don't fret. She's a teenage girl who lost her parents last year, is dealing with a lot of changes and she just moved here. All you can do is give her some time."

"It's so hard though. Ever since she walked into this house, she has been acting really strange. She claimed that something attacked her in the basement and that she saw a creepy person in a rubber suit, all of this happening in this house." Jenna admitted.

"Well, this house has feelings of its own, it's a special house and it will make you believe things you never thought possible. But you don't need to stress, . Your niece will be okay." Moira spoke.

Once Elena was in her room, she slammed it and sat down on her bed. Elena took a deep breath and shut her eyes. That accident that she had with cutting earlier… It was a wakeup call.


	3. III

**_A/N: No, Elena is not dead. :)_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3_**

Elena hadn't been out of her room in two days, well she had but only to use the bathroom and to accept the food slid under her door.

It was nice, Jenna and Jeremy were leaving her alone.

Except, it was getting a little bit tiring.

Elena hadn't left the house, all she did was read and listen to music on her iPod.

But today Elena had to leave her room. It was her first day of school at Westfield High. Greeeatt.

Elena sighed before making her way to the washroom with her change of clothes; a red tank top, a black cardigan and dark wash skinny jeans paired with black converses and the locket her parent's had given her for her fifteenth birthday.

She sat her clothes down on the toilet seat along with her fluffy towels before hopping into the warm shower.

A few minutes later, Elena came out and dried off. She changed into her outfit and blow-dried her hair.

Someone knocked at the door, it was Jeremy. "Hey, 'Lena. Are you almost done?"

"One sec," Elena replied before turning off her blow-dryer and putting her dirty clothes and towels in the hamper.

Elena decided that she was going to pretend that nothing happened with Jenna and Jeremy, or cutting, or getting attacked in the basement and the rubber man. After all, most of it was probably a hallucination. Hopefully.

She opened the door and smiled at her brother. "Are you nervous for our first day?"

"A little. What 'bout you?"

Elena shrugged. "Not really, I mean it's just school. The day will be over before we know it," she said with a smile.

Jeremy nodded. "It's good to have you back, sis." He embraced her before going into the washroom and shutting the door.

It was good to be back, except Elena was just faking it. Or, was she?

Elena went into her room to collect her binder and her backpack with all of her supplies. She slid on her black leather jacket before leaving the room, not even bothering with any makeup for the first day.

She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed an apple before biting into it. Apples were her favorite snack and like everyone said, "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away." Could apples keep therapists away?

Moira wandered into the room. "Good morning, E-lena. Would you like me to make you some breakfast? I make fabulous scrambled eggs."

Elena's stomach growled, she was hungry but she knew if she ate then she would be late to school so she kindly declined the offer. "Thanks for the offer but I'm okay, Moira."

"Okay, dear." Moira replied with a kind smile.

Jenna walked into the room, wearing a pale blue top, a black blazer, and black pants. Her hair was up in a messy updo and she was wearing a smile. "Good morning, Elena and Moira." She nodded to both of them.

"You look beautiful, Ms. Sommers." Moira said and went to straighten Jenna's blazer.

"Thank you Moira, you're too kind."

"Good morning, Jen-Jen." Elena greeted.

Jenna poured herself a glass of milk from the fridge and stood beside her niece. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel good actually. Which is odd because I have been depressed for the last few days," she answered honestly.

"It's okay to be sad, I just want you to tell me how you're feeling next time. I'm sorry for not reacting well."

Elena embraced her aunt. "It's okay, Aunt Jenna. Today is going to be a good day, I can tell."

Hopefully it would actually turn out to be a good day since the last time she predicted she would have a good day turned out badly.

Moira smiled at the aunt and her niece, she knew Jenna was a good aunt. Moira felt bad for this family, she didn't want them to endure the horrors that this house caused. Maybe this time a family would survive the Murder House? Wasn't very likely, even she hadn't survived this house. Anyone who set foot in this house died, except for a few people… When Moira first lived here, she was just a young, innocent maid working for a middle class family. But that all changed when Hugo tried to take advantage of her…

Jenna placed a hand on Elena's shoulder. "Well, I need to get to my job interview soon but I can give you a ride to your first day of school if you want?"

Jenna had wanted to be a music teacher all of her life and now, she had that chance to live her dream. Back in Mystic Falls, she had been working on earning her Music Education degree. And now, she had it. So today, she was going to an interview at the local elementary school. If she got the job then she would be teaching next term.

"Sure, thanks. Just let me get Jeremy and we'll meet you in the car."

"Bye Moira, thanks for doing this, it helps out a lot." Jenna smiled.

"It's my duty to clean, it's what I do but you're welcome." Moira replied.

Jenna waved and grabbed her purse before walking out of the house to the car.

"I'm going to get Jeremy, see ya later Moira." Elena went back up the stairs to look for Jeremy and she found him in his room. His hair was wet from his shower and he had his school bag slung over his shoulder.

"Jenna is waiting in the car; she's driving us to school before she goes to her job interview." Elena said and leaned against his door.

Jeremy popped a piece of gum in his mouth and began to chew. "Kay."

"Can I have one?" Elena asked and then he handed her a piece. She put it in her mouth and they both left his room to go outside into the car.

Elena went in the backseat and Jeremy sat in the front, Jenna was driving.

Jenna pulled into the school lot and said, "do you guys need lunch money or anything?"

"Anything," Elena replied and smirked.

Jenna rolled her eyes and turned to Jeremy. "What about you, Jer?"

"Yeah, I do. Thanks," he said.

Jenna got out her wallet from her Coach purse and handed him a ten dollar bill. "Here ya go." She smiled.

Jeremy thanked her and stepped out of the car, waved and then walked towards the school.

Elena watched him walk inside and then glanced up at the top of the school. The sign read WESTFIELD HIGH, in red print with their logo HOME OF THE WOLVERINES right beside the red print.

Jenna turned around and looked at her niece with a sigh. "Elena, you have to go inside too."

Elena tucked a stray hair behind her ear and sighed. "I know," she replied and opened the car door. Jenna handed her a ten dollar bill and said, "here, buy a sandwich or something."

Elena thanked her and left the car, waving as she walked before turning around to face the school. "Here goes nothing." She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.

She was walking through the hall for about eight minutes, looking for the office when she found a nice enough girl to help her. Elena approached the girl and her group of friends. "Excuse me, I'm new here. I was wondering if you could tell me where the office is? I am having a hard time looking for it."

The girl looked at Elena and flashed a bitchy smirk. "Sorry, no can do." She turned back around to her group of friends.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

The girl scoffed. "Because I don't want too, so go ask someone else. You can see that I'm clearly busy," she said without even turning to look at Elena.

One of the girl's friends turned towards her and pointed left. "The office is down there; you just go left and then make a right. It's really easy to find once you know where it is." The brunette gave her a kind smile. "I'm Bianca. Sorry about Leah, she's kind of a bitch when you first met her."

Elena nodded. "I'm Elena and thanks, I'll see you around." Elena hurried off and went left, the way Bianca told her to go.

Elena walked out of the office and to her first class, English. She had just gotten her schedule.

She was walking to her first class when she collided with someone resulting in their books and binders falling to the ground.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Elena apologized and nervously laughed even though it wasn't her fault.

She looked up to a boy that looked around the age of sixteen. He was dressed in a striped green and yellow shirt and ripped jeans. He had high cheekbones, messy, brown hair that was long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail, piercing blue eyes and pink lips. "He was cute", Elena thought.

"Oh, it's not your fault at all. I'm so sorry, it was mine. Really." He assured her and helped her pick up her things. He picked up his things and then smiled.

"Oh, thank you." She returned his smile. "I'm Elena, I'm new here."

"Nice to meet you Elena, my name is Romeo, but please…. Call me Romy, I hate my name. My parents are huge Shakespeare geeks." He mumbled.

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Elena belt out in a dramatic voice.

Romeo grinned, showing his dimples. "Well done, well done." He said and clapped. "My parents will love you."

She laughed. "Well, it's nice to meet you too Romy." She paused. "I should probably be going now, I don't want to be late for my first day."

"What class you have first?" He asked.

"English with Mr. Young," she told him and clicked her tongue.

Romy laughed and said, "great, me too. My dad teaches that class." He rolled his eyes.

"Really? Wow."

Romy nodded. "Yup and we should probably get going. My dad is very strict and he hates when people are late, especially new students."

"Oh, okay."

Romy grabbed her hand and they were off, to English class.

They pair stopped in front of English class, Romy's father's class.

Oh no, the door was shut which meant they were late, class had already started.

"Shit." Romy muttered.

Elena knocked on the door and someone came to open it, . He had dark hair, a rather large nose, beedy eyes, and a mustache. He was wearing slacks, a red button up dress shirt and glasses.  
Mr. Young narrowed his eyes and frowned. "You're late."

"I'm sorry. Your son and I got caught up in talking, he was very kind. My name is Ele-"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Just come inside and make sure it doesn't happen again." He gestured for them to come inside and they did.

Elena felt a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, this was going to be a fun class. Not.

* * *

The bell to go home had finally rung. Elena had became good friends with Romy by the end of the day. They actually shared similar interests; they both liked indie music, they both loved scary movies and they both thought Johnny Depp was the hottest guy to ever walk earth. These two were destined to meet and now, they had. They were the soul mates of friends.

Romy had his arm looped through Elena's. He was chewing gum and made a whistling noise when an attractive, brown haired boy walked by. It was Jeremy, Elena's brother.

Jeremy frowned and continued to walk out the door.

"Damn, he's hot." Romy said and purred.

Elena shut her eyes and took a breath as her cheeks turned red. "That's my brother, Jeremy."

Romy laughed. "Well girl, you gotta introduce me to that handsome beauty."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, Jeremy isn't gay. But I should get going, my aunt Jenna is waiting for me outside in her car."

"Aunt?" Romy cocked his head to the side.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, my parents died last year in Virginia. They drove off a bridge with me in the car, I survived but they didn't. I was in a coma for a few months after the accident. My aunt, my brother and I just moved here to this house a few days ago."

Romy did something that someone hadn't done before when they found out what happened to her parents. Romy whispered, "I understand. My mom died when I was four. I have a step mom that I kind of consider my mom now because I don't remember my biological mom." Romy was honest and he didn't apologize, it was nice.

"How'd she die?" Elena asked curiously.

Romy cleared his throat and sighed. "She committed suicide in our own home." He walked out of the school, motioning for Elena to follow. "She struggled with bipolar disorder and her mood swings… were very hard to deal with… as my dad told us." His facial expression was showing pain with what also looked like regret.

"I'm sorry Romy, that's horrible." Elena said with a weak smile.

"Nah, it's all good." He patted her shoulder and returned her smile. "I should get going though, see you tomorrow." He said.

Elena nodded. "Right, see ya tomorrow!" she called out before turning around and heading to her aunt's car.

She climbed in the back seat because yet again, Jeremy was in the front seat.

"How was your first day, Elena?" Jenna asked with a cheerful smile.

"Good actually, I made a friend." Elena replied. Elena herself couldn't believe it, she had made a friend on her first day of school.

Jeremy snickered. "Oh, that weirdo guy in the hall? The guy who cat called me?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Shut up Jer." She groaned.

"Well done, Elena. You made a friend on your first day, I'm proud." Jenna replied and nodded her head, proudly.

Elena chuckled. "Enough about me, what about you? How was your interview? Did you get the job?" She asked her aunt.

"Yes, I did. I'm starting next term and we're going to go out right now for celebration pizza!" She exclaimed and drove off.

Elena smiled to herself and looked down thoughtfully at the ground. Things were going good for once, but how long would that last?


	4. IV

**Chapter 4-**

It was four-o'clock in the morning when Elena heard a rumbling noise, it sounded like it was coming from the attic.

Elena frowned. "Roooooarrrr, vroooooom! Boooooom!" The noise echoed through the whole house.

Elena slid her blanket off her body and climbed out of bed. She walked out into the corridor and looked around. "Hello? Jeremy? Jenna?" She called out and looked from side to side.

She went to Jeremy's room and crept inside. Jeremy was fast asleep in his bed with his arm draped over his pillow.

Elena sighed and closed his door. She went back into the corridor and looked up at the attic, there was a string attached to the top. She pulled down the string and a set of stairs leading to the attic appeared. She climbed up the set of stairs.

The attic was a very gloomy, dark room. The walls and floor were black. It was the perfect place for Elena Gilbert. There was a stash of old magazines sitting in the corner, probably Playboy or Playgirl, a very dusty bed with ecru colored sheets, an old desk with a computer sitting on top of it and something very strange in the corner. Elena approached the strange thing and gasped when she saw what it was. It was a black, rubber suit hanging from the wall.

"Oh my god." It was the same rubber suit she had seen on the day they moved here. The person who she thought was just her imagination was wearing the rubber suit.

A red ball rolled out from under the bed, towards Elena. Elena picked up the ball and frowned in confusion.

"What are you doing?" A voice said from behind.

The ball fell from Elena's hand and she whipped her head behind to a blonde haired woman with very blue eyes. She was dressed in an outfit that looked like it was from the 20's, a sparkly greenish dress that went to her knees with a fluffy sweater over top. Her blonde hair was up in a Gibson girl updo and she looked very distressed. "What are you doing in my house?" The woman's tone was bitter.

"What the hell?" Elena gasped and backed away from the woman in confusion. "This is my house, what are you talking about?"

"No-o. This is my house." The woman insisted. "Who are you and why are you dressed like that? Are you a prostitute? Wait, why do you have those markings on your arms?"

Elena frowned and crossed her arms, trying to hide her scars. She then glanced down at her outfit. She was in a black tank top and pink pajama shorts. "They're my pajamas." She shook her head. "Now, please leave. You seem like a nice lady but you have to leave now." Elena said firmly.

Suddenly, some came up the stairs. It was Moira and she went over to the woman's side. She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and looked straight at Elena. "You'll have to forgive Mrs. Montgomery; she has a few loose screws. This used to be her house too, Elena."

Elena frowned. "Huh? But she looks like she is from the 20's, her clothes…" Elena's voice trailed off.

Moira removed her hand from the woman's shoulder and walked over to Elena. "Shhh, it's okay dear. Go back to sleep, you're okay." She placed two fingers on each side of Elena's temples and Elena collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Elena jolted awake in her bed, it was all just a dream. That woman who was in her house, it was just a dream. The attic, the noises were just a dream. It was just a dream. But why? Why did she have that dream? It didn't make any sense…

Elena threw on a black sweater over top of her tank top before leaving her room. She went down the stairs and into the kitchen. Moira was in the kitchen and she smiled at Elena when she came in. "Good morning dear, sleep well?"

"Uh, I slept okay." Elena nervously said and went to open the cupboard. She pulled out a box of Froot Loops and poured some into a bowl along with milk.

Moira gave Elena a look. "Dear, that is just plain sugar. You shouldn't eat it. A growing girl like you needs something healthy to eat." She snatched the bowl from her and sat it down on the counter. "I'll make you a healthy breakfast; bacon, scrambled eggs, toast and some cut up apple slices."

Elena let Moira take the bowl and then sighed. "I don't know if I can get used to this, I just feel like I'm asking for too much. I don't want you to think I'm greedy or spolied."

Moira shook her head. "E-lena, I am your maid. It is my job to clean and to make meals for you."

"Okay." Elena replied quietly.

Moira began to prepare Elena's breakfast while daydreaming about how she wished she wasn't trapped inside this house.

"Here you go, dear." Moira said with a smile and handed her the plate of food.

Elena stared hungrily at the plate of delicious food. Crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, buttered toast and perfectly cut apples slices seasoned with cinnamon were on the plate. The aroma of 'breakfast' filled her nostrils. She inhaled deeply before taking a big bite of scrambled egg with the fork. "Mmmmm." She moaned. She popped an apple slice with cinnamon sugar on top into her mouth. Next she bit into her toast and she was happy to see that the toast had been sprinkled with a hint of garlic powder and just the right amount of margarine.

"Moira…" Her voice trailed off. "This is the best breakfast I have ever had."

Moira smiled. "I'm glad you like it, dear."

There was a knock at the door.

Elena finished off her breakfast while Moira got up to answer it. She opened the door and it was the blonde, southern lady who saved Elena. She had a tray of chocolate chip cookies in her hands. Elena couldn't remember her name though.

"Hello, oh… Moira." Constance said with an uneasy smile.

"Constance." Moira greeted coldly.

Did they know each other? "Moira, you know Constance?"

Moira slowly nodded and opened her mouth to speak but Constance spoke instead, "Yes honey, she used to be my family's maid too when we lived in this house."

"You lived here? When?" Elena curiously asked.

"Oh, ages ago. Such a long time ago…" Constance raised her hand dismissively.

"So Constance, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Moira said with a hint of sarcasm edging her tone.

Constance gave them a sweet smile but Elena could tell that her smile was fake. "I just wanted to drop these cookies off. Is your aunt home, Elena?"

Just as the words left her mouth, Jenna came into the kitchen; fully dressed.

How did Constance know that she lived with her aunt?

Constance smiled at Jenna and handed her the tray of cookies. "Hello, my name is Constance Langdon. I am your next door neighbor. Sorry for not introducing myself sooner, I have been fairly busy…" Constance trailed off.

Jenna accepted the cookies and sat them down on the counter. "Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jenna Sommers and this is my niece, Elena. My nephew, Jeremy is still sleeping."

"I have met Elena before, I saw her in the yard and chatted with her for a bit." Her eyes flickered to Elena. "She's a very sweet girl."

Elena hoped Constance wouldn't tell Jenna about the accident. "Thank you." She said quietly.

"Oh well, that's nice. I wish I had something to give you in return Constance but we don't, sorry." Jenna said and offered a smile.

Constance waved her hand and then placed it on her hip. "Oh no worries, honey. It's all good."

Moira cleared her throat. "I should, um, go clean Ms. Sommers's room." Moira said and walked out of the kitchen, she fidgeted with her hands as she walked away.

Why was Moira acting so strange? Elena sensed that there was some tension between Moira and Constance.

Elena tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and forced a smile. "So Constance, how's your daughter doing?"

"You have children?" Jenna spoke up and tilted her head.

Constance nodded and dug out a cigarette from her pocket. She lit it and took small drags. "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?"

Jenna's eyes flickered to Elena for help but she just shrugged. "Actually, I do. Sorry."

Constance twirled the cigarette with her finger and looked thoughtfully at Elena. "I have four children- my girl, Adelaide is the only one who remains with me. My boys are deceased." She said calmly as if it didn't really bother her that they were dead.

Elena's eyes widened. "Oh my god." She uttered. "How?-"

"I'm sorry about my niece, she can be a little bit… Rude." Jenna shot Elena a look. She looked back to Constance with sympathy. "I'm so sorry about your children; that's so horrible."

Constance took one last drag from her cigarette and then she put it out. Her eyes flickered up and her lips turned up into a small smirk. "Oh no worries honey, Elena is just a curious child. She reminds me a little bit of my youngest son."

"How old was he when he died?" Elena curiously asked and crossed her legs, wanting to hear more from Constance.

"He was seventeen." Constance replied very matter of factly.

"Wow." Elena replied. "That's so messed up. Did he kill himself?"

Jenna shot her another look. "Elena!"

"What, what? Sorry!" Elena replied and looked embarrassed.

Constance chuckled and said, "No, he was murdered."


	5. V

**CHAPTER 5**

Elena and Jenna both gasped.

Just as Constance opened her mouth to reply, Adelaide came running in causing everyone to forget the conversation they had just been having.

She stared at both Elena and Jenna and said, "You're going to die in this house." Her brown eyes glued to Elena.

Elena frowned at the girl and sat up. She walked to Adelaide and titled her head to the side. "What?"

"You're going to die in this house." She repeated.

Constance let out a small laugh and placed a hand on Adelaide's shoulder. "I thought we talked about this, Addy. You can't just run into someone's house and say that to them." She whispered in her daughter's ear.

Adelaide's eyes remained glued to Elena's. "But, but, it's true."

Jenna cleared her throat. "Is this your daughter?" She asked in a kind voice and smiled at Adelaide.

"Yes, this is Adelaide." Constance said and smiled sweetly. She turned to Adelaide and said, "Addy, this is Ms. Sommers and her niece, Elena. They're going to be our new neighbors."

She shoveled some scrambled eggs into her mouth, chewed and then swallowed. 'Great.' Elena thought. 'We have psycho neighbors with messed up lives. Well this is going to be just dandy.'

Elena was sitting on the chair in front of the computer while listening to music on her iPod. It was 4 pm and knowing Moira, dinner would be ready in an hour.

The song switched to a Nirvana song and Elena smiled before turning up the volume. She bent back farther in her computer chair and listened to the raspy, heavenly voice of Kurt Cobain.

"I like Nirvana too." Someone said from behind.

Elena paused the song on her iPod before turning around. She was staring at a boy with messy blonde hair, very dark eyes that almost looked black and a frown. He was wearing a Nirvana shirt and ripped jeans.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked and stood up, remaining where she was. She had to admit, she was a little freaked out that someone was in her house and just happened to speak in a creepy voice. "Why are you in my room?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm Tate." He said and ran a hand through his messy locks. His hand dropped down and dangled nervously. "I- uh, Moira let me in." He lied, not wanting this girl to think he was creepy, he was just curious of these new residents in his old house.

"You know Moira and why did she let you in?" She raised an eyebrow.

Her arms were still crossed and she had an amount of sass that Tate admired. She didn't seem afraid of him, she just seemed a little nervous which came off as rudeness. He smiled, showing his dimples and relaxed a little. "I used to live here, Moira was my maid too."

Elena chuckled and then dropped her arms to her sides. "It seems like Moira has been a maid for a lot of people in this house."

He nodded and bit down on his lip, trying to not smile at her. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, with her olive complexion, almond shaped eyes that he knew had seen a lot of pain, chocolate colored hair, full lips and a slim body. Not to mention, the black long sleeve top she had on revealed a fair amount of cleavage and the high waisted jeans hugged her long legs and bum. He felt his cheeks heat up so he quickly looked away. "Yeah, she has."

"So Tate." She paused and smirked. "It's kind of creepy for you to still be in my room."

Tate ignored her and walked closer, causing her to step back. He liked that she stepped back from him, now she seemed a little unsure of him. He smirked back, "You never told me your name." He cocked his head to the side, wanting to hear her answer. He already knew her name but he still wanted to hear her speak. Her voice had a little hint of rasp to it and yet it still sounded sweet.

She stepped back and frowned. "I don't tell my name to boys who suddenly appear in my room and act creepy."

"Fair enough." He said and nodded. "Well Elena, I'll see you around." And with that, he turned around and walked out.

"How'd you know my name?" She called and looked into the hallway but he was already gone, nowhere to be seen. Weird. She frowned and went back into her room. She wasn't sure about Tate. Something about him, was a little off… He seemed really interesting yet very strange. But she had to admit, he was hella cute.

Elena went down the stairs and into the library room.

Thinking that she was in the room alone, she went up to the bookshelf and scanned the shelves.

A sudden moan cut her off from her thoughts. Her head whipped behind her to the couch. Jeremy was underneath a brunette girl from school, the girl was topless, straddling him. Elena knew her but couldn't place her name.

"Jeremy? For god sakes, you're fifteen." Elena muttered and flashed a disapproving look.

The girl groaned and covered her breasts with her hands. "You're fifteen?" The girl asked with a raised brow. "You told me you were seventeen."

Jeremy chuckled nervously and pushed the girl off of him. "Well, I lied."

Just as Elena rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, she heard the girl swear at Jeremy and leave.

"God 'Lena, why do you have to be such a buzz kill?" Jeremy shouted.

Elena went into the kitchen and grabbed a banana, peeling it before taking a big bite. "Because."

Elena was working on her trigonometry homework in the basement, on the bottom step. It was about 9:00 and she knew she should have started it earlier, but it was a habit that she couldn't break.

A ball came rolling from underneath a table towards Elena.

Elena frowned and set her papers down beside her. She picked up the red ball, it was the exact same ball from her dream earlier. Could it be a coincidence?

Probably not, this house definitely had an eerie feel to it.

"Elena, come upstairs! Quick!" Aunt Jenna shouted from the living room.

Elena was torn away from her thoughts. "Coming!" She dropped the ball, picked up her papers and went up the stairs.

Tate watched as she walked up the stairs and then shut the door. Beau scrambled out from under the table and made a grunting noise.

Tate patted the fur on top of Beau's head. "I know buddy, I know."

"What is it?" Elena asked her aunt.

Jenna ran to her and embraced her, grabbing her hair and breathing into it. "Oh my god, Elena. I could have sworn I saw you. I was so scared." Jenna cried into her niece's hair.

"What're you talking about? I'm fine." Elena asked, clearly confused.

"I must have drifted off, but it's all okay now. No worries." Jenna replied with a weak smile.

Elena nodded slowly. "Oh, o-okay."

What the hell was with this house?


	6. VI

p style="text-align: center;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"strongCHAPTER 6/strong/span/p  
p style="text-align: center;" /p  
p style="text-align: center;"Katherine Pierce smirked as she walked into the basement./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate was crawled up in the corner, trying to fall asleep./p  
p style="text-align: center;""Hi, lover boy. It's good to see you." She purred and went over to him./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Her skin-tight black cocktail dress was stained with blood like it had been when she originally died fifty years ago./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate couldn't understand why she didn't hide her true identity, it was disgusting. "What do you want, Katherine?" He rubbed his eyes while groaning./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Katherine sat beside him and began to make a trail of kisses from his cheek to his neck. "Just playing around, having a good time. What about you, Tate? Are you having a good time?" She whispered in his ear seductively./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate pushed her off of him and got up. "Leave me alone." He walked away from her and into the next room./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Chad is in the next room, painting the wall a shade of grey. "Look who's back, Norman Bates junior."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate ignored him and went onto the floor./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Katherine came into the room and smirked. "A new change, I like it." She said to Chad who smiles at her. "I know everyone hates you Kat, but I like you."/p  
p style="text-align: center;""You're not too bad yourself," Katherine replied and went to side beside Tate./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate groaned and turned to her. "What do you want Katherine, can't you just leave me alone?"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Katherine pouted and stroked his cheek causing him to anger even more. "Well that would be no fun. Besides, I like the new family. The girl- Elena looks like me, I like her. Her Aunt Jenna is also pretty cool, I wonder what they both would look like torn apart?"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate shot daggers at her. "Leave Elena alone, Katherine. You've had enough fun with the people in this home, let's leave this family alone."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Katherine rolled her eyes and slumped against the wall. "When did you get so boring?"/p  
p style="text-align: center;""I'm not boring, o-okay? I just want to leave this family alone." Tate sighed and ran a hand through his messy locks./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Chad finished up painting the side and went over to them. "I'm not buying it, I just think you want to have her all to yourself."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate scoffed and crossed his arms over his Nirvana tee. "So what if I do? I like her."/p  
p style="text-align: center;""Mmm, that won't last long. She'll be dead before you know it. Might not be by us but another jealous spirit will kill her." Chad said and shook his head./p  
p style="text-align: center;""I'm going to protect her, she's been through so much." Tate admitted./p  
p style="text-align: center;""Wa wa wa, Tate. Stop being so whiny, it doesn't look good on you." Katherine said and got up off of the ground. "You boys know where to find me." She smirked and walked away./p  
p style="text-align: center;""Stay away from Elena!" Tate yelled as she walked away./p  
p style="text-align: center;""Fine then, I'll go after her brother or aunt instead!"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate slouched against the wall and glared at Chad who was staring at him. "What're you looking at, faggot?"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Chad rolled his eyes and left the room. "Goodnight, Bates jr."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Tate growled as he picked off his Nirvana tee and set it down beside him. He curled up in fetal position and drifted off./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena tucked her aunt into bed and pulled the thick comforter over her body, leaving her head the only visible part./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Jenna stroked her niece's face and smiled softly. "You look so much like your mother, Elena. It's crazy."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena smiled back. "Really?"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Jenna nodded and yawned. "I think this new house is doing weird things to me, I'm starting to understand how you've been feeling."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Now that her aunt had just admitted this, she was extremely curious to what she meant./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Jenna sighed and said, "I have been seeing things lately. I thought I saw you earlier and you had hurt yourself but I know now that it was just a dream."/p  
p style="text-align: center;""Are you sure it was a dream?" Elena deadpanned. "What if it was a hallucination? There are some bad vibes in this house and-"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Jenna waved her hand. "Elena, please don't worry. I have just been stressing too much lately. I should get to sleep now, I'm exhausted."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena hesitated. "Are you sure?"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Jenna nodded quickly. "I'm fine, sweetie."/p  
p style="text-align: center;""Okay…"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena changed into a white tank-top and purple flannel pajama bottoms. She washed her face in the bathroom sink and dried off with a facecloth before brushing her teeth thoroughly./p  
p style="text-align: center;"When she was done in the bathroom, she returned to her bedroom and turned off the light. Her bed called out to her and she quickly jumped into it, pulling the covers over top of her head./p  
p style="text-align: center;""Elena… Elena… Elena…" A hoarse voice echoed./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena froze./p  
p style="text-align: center;""I know you're in there…" The voice chuckled./p  
p style="text-align: center;"She must be sleeping, right?/p  
p style="text-align: center;"This had to be a dream? Right?/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena shut her eyes tight and squeezed her comforter. "Please…. Let this be a…. dream…"/p  
p style="text-align: center;""Nope! Wrong bitch!" The voice said again, this time in a female voice./p  
p style="text-align: center;"They pulled the covers off of her and laughed hysterically./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena screamed at the sight of… Her? The woman in front of her looked exactly like her!/p  
p style="text-align: center;""It's just you and me, E-laine-aa." Katherine pronounced and smirked. She reached out and yanked Elena by her hair, sliding her across the floor./p  
p style="text-align: center;"All Elena could do was swat at the girl who looked exactly like her and scream./p  
p style="text-align: center;""Shut up, bitch!" Katherine whispered in her ear./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena kicked her away and stumbled out the door./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Katherine groaned and stood up. She chased after her./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena ran down the stairs and into the basement. She shut the door and locked it./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Katherine banged on the door aggressively./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena shook with fear. "Go away! Go away! Go away!" She shouted./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Suddenly, Elena shot up out of her bed in a sweat. Her sweaty palm flung to her forehead which was ice cold. If her forehead was ice cold then how come she felt so sweaty? At least it had all been a dream…/p  
p style="text-align: center;""Oh my god, I need to get out of this house…" Elena whispered to herself as she paced back and forth between her bed and the door./p  
p style="text-align: center;"It had been twenty minutes since she had left the basement after Katherine had left her alone in her dream. A dream that had felt so real./p  
p style="text-align: center;"With her hand on her doorknob and her eyes glued to her phone, it started to vibrate. Elena's hand shook as she picked up her phone./p  
p style="text-align: center;"The caller ID flashed with CAROLINE, her old childhood friend from Mystic Falls. It had been a couple months since she had seen her friend but the two friends resorted to emailing every couple weeks or a text message here and there./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Since they only talked every once and a while, why was Care phoning her now? Had something happened back in her home town? Was she in trouble?/p  
p style="text-align: center;""Care,hey!" Elena said in a groggy voice as she hit answer on her cell. "Is everything okay?"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Caroline stifled a cry. "Elena, it's my mom. There's been an accident. Can I come up and stay with you? It will only be a couple weeks, t-till my mom gets back on her feet. I would ask Bonnie but she's in Delaware with her mom and you know how far away that is…" She paused to catch her breath. "I mean, I'm sorry to put this on you and your aunt but I really need you right now. You're my bestest friend and I miss you."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"With her phone still pressed to her ear, Elena sat on her bed causing it to creak. She smoothed her purple comforter and replied with, "Of course, you can explain everything when you get here. You can stay here as long as you need. I'm here for you, Care."/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Elena heard Caroline sob in the phone. "Thank you so much, Lena. I will take the next flight out to L.A. and I have money for a cab so once I'm off the plane, you can text me your address and I'll come to you. You have no idea how much this means to me."/p  
p style="text-align: center;""I can't wait to see you, despite the circumstances." Elena told her./p  
p style="text-align: center;""Me too."/p 


	7. VII

**CHAPTER 7-**

Caroline came at 12:00 the following day which was a Saturday.

After Elena had gotten off the phone with Care, she had woken up Aunt Jenna and had a meaningful talk with her about Caroline staying with them. Of course, Jenna understood as long as Elena agreed to the rules…

No partying.

No lying.

No boys at night.

And most certainly of all, no sneaking out of the house at night which Elena and Caroline both had a history of.

"I can't believe you're here." Elena pulled her best friend in a hug and ran her hands along the small of her back. "It's going to be okay."

Caroline let a few tears slip through her eyes as she forced a smile. "I should probably tell you what happened. It's a really long story."

Elena sat down in her black rolling computer chair and pushed herself over to her bed. "I got time," she gestured for Caroline to sit on her bed.

After Caroline had explained to Elena everything that had happened to her mom, the pair decided to grab some dinner at the pizza shack.

Elena slid into the booth seat opposite Caroline so they were facing each other.

"What do you recommend here?" Caroline asked Elena as she flipped through the pizza menu.

"Let's get a large pepperoni and cheese, we can always take the rest home and eat it later if we don't finish it." Elena told her with a smile.

Caroline nodded. "Okay, that sounds good."

A teenage busboy walked up to the girls' table. "My name is Dave and I will be serving you guys this afternoon. So, what can I get you guys to start off with to drink?"

"We're actually read to order, we will take a large pepperoni and cheese pizza and to drink, we will have two cokes, please." Elena told the busboy and handed him her and Caroline's menus.

The busboy smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, coming right up."

When he left, Caroline tapped Elena's hand. "So, tell me how your school is? Any cute guys?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Elena let out a laugh. "Well, school is okay. I have one friend I guess and he's pretty cool."

"Oooh, a guy friend? Tell, tell, tell!" Caroline said flirtatiously.

Elena rolled her eyes. "He's just a friend, besides he is gay and he digs Jeremy."

"A gay best friend? You better not be replacing me, 'Lena?" Elena knew Caroline was joking around but her tone actually sounded nervous to be replaced.

Elena placed a reassuring hand on Caroline's hand. "No one could ever replace you, Care." She smiled.

Caroline's lips curled up into a small smile. "You're really the best, I mean you letting me stay with you is so nice."

"Well, I know how it feels like to lose someone you care about."

Caroline swallowed the lump in her throat. "She's not dead yet, I mean I don't think she will die, but do you?"

Elena watched as Caroline's eyes turned glassy. She turned away and said, "no, I mean that she will survive. I just understand the change of not being with your parents and having something happen to someone you love, even if they aren't dead."

"You don't have to bullshit me, Elena. I mean, she got raped and well major damage was done to her-um tissue and stuff." Caroline wiped at her eyes and looked awkwardly. "I mean, what kind of sicko would rape someone and then leave them out to die?"

"I don't know, but your mom is in good hands. The hospital is going to take care of her and you're here with me now. Your mom is going to be okay, I promise. The only thing you have to worry about is what movie we are going to watch tonight." Elena told her reassuringly.

Caroline laughed.

Elena and Caroline ended up taking four slices of pizza home which would make a perfect midnight snack when they watched their movie.

"Hello? Care and I are home." Elena called out to the empty main floor. She walked into the kitchen with Caroline trailing closely behind her.

Jeremy was seated at the island eating a banana. His eyes lit up at the sight of Caroline. When he was younger, he had the biggest crush on Caroline. From his look right now, Elena figured he still probably did.

"Hey, wow, Caroline? What are you doing here?" Jeremy sat up and walked over to them.

Caroline pulled Jeremy into a hug as Elena said, "uh, she is going to be staying with us for a bit-while her mom is on vacation." She made eye contact with Caroline over Jeremy's shoulder and nodded with a smile.

Jeremy didn't even seem to care about what Elena had said, all he seemed to care about was the girl who was in his arms, hugging him. Caroline.

"Yeah, so I am going to be staying here with you guys for a few months. I mean, until my mom gets back." Caroline cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Does Jenna know?" Jeremy asked as he and Caroline naturally broke out of the embrace.

"Yup, and speaking of Jenna, where is she now?" Elena asked, looking around the kitchen and part way into the living area. Jenna was not to be found.

"She's out getting groceries, she should be back soon." Jeremy replied.

Right at that moment, Jenna came through the back door with bags in hands. She set them down on the table and then shut the door. As she looked up, she noticed Caroline with a smile. "Hi Caroline, did you and Elena enjoy your lunch?"

Caroline nodded with a smile. "Yes we did, it was really good. Thanks again for letting me stay with you guys again."

"It's no problem Caroline, we are always happy to help. I hope your mom enjoys her trip to Vermont. I once went when I was eighteen with a couple girlfriends of mine and we had a great time."

Since Caroline felt so uncomfortable about the whole situation with her mom, she made Elena promise that she wouldn't tell anyone about what _really_ happened to her mom. Not even Jenna could know, Caroline had told her.

"Aunt Jenna, is it okay if Care and I go up to my room? We will be down for dinner tonight."

Jenna nodded as she began putting certain food items from the bag into the fridge and cupboards. "Sure girls, Jeremy can help me unpack then." Her eyes flickered to Jeremy's with a sneaky smile.

Jeremy groaned as he went over to the bags of food. "Wow, thanks Elena."

They all laughed, minus Jeremy who was complaining as Elena and Caroline retreated up the stairs to Elena's room.

"Have I mentioned how cool your house is yet? Like holy crap, it is!" Caroline remarked, a sparkling look in her eyes.

Elena shrugged awkwardly. "Yeah, it's great…"

As her and Caroline turned the corner to head into her room, Katherine looked on with a content smirk.

"Mm, this should be fun."


End file.
